1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in tire chain container apparatus, and more particularly, to a tire chain container apparatus having a container for storage of tire chains and a cover for the container which is also adapted to support the weight of a vehicle wheel thereon and aid in the application of a tire chain to that vehicle wheel.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
There have been many proposed ramp devices for aiding in the application of a tire chain to a vehicle wheel and tire. These ramp devices usually include a pair of inclined walls leading to a somewhat dished or concave upper surface to support the tire on a vehicle wheel. A groove or recess in this upper surface receives a portion of the tire chain and enables the tire chain to be fastened to the wheel and tire of the vehicle.
One such device is more fully taught and illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,263 to Hill et al. This device includes a pair of ramp devices in the form of hollow shells. When the two ramp devices are assembled together, the tire chains can be stored in an interior compartment formed in and by the two shells. However, this device is not really effective, neither as a support for a vehicle wheel nor as a container for tire chains. In the device of the Hill et al Patent, each of the shells is not designed to support that portion of the weight of a conventional present day automotive vehicle carried by one of wheels of that vehicle.
The device of the Hill et al Patent also is not adapted to stand in an upright position. Due to the fact that each of the shell halves dose not include the proper internal supporting struts or ribs, each shell must be formed of unduly thick walls, even when formed of a metal, to support the weight of a portion of a vehicle carried by one of the wheels. Further, each shell is formed in such manner, that there is serious doubt if the device can support that portion of the weight of a four-wheeled vehicle carried by one of the wheels when made of any non-ferous material. Thus, the device itself is fairly heavy and due to the size, shape and weight, it is difficult to move and manipulate. This device would also be quite noisy if formed of a metal when the tires chains are stored between the two shell halves since the chains would rattle against the walls of the cavity formed by the two shell halves.
Similar types of tire chain supporting devices are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,870 to Murakami, U.S. Pat. No. 1,189,632 to Seitz, U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,939 to DeMartina and Canadian Pat. No. 457,758 to Oliver. These other prior art devices similarly do not include properly designed containers in order to store the tire chains when not in use. Further, in almost all cases, they must be formed of a metal and of sufficient thickness in order to support the weight of a vehicle carried by one vehicle wheel and tire since these prior art devices are not internally supported with the necessary struts or ribs.
In addition to the above described problems, these prior art devices do not provide means for holding the device in a fixed position on the ground surface to enable a vehicle wheel and tire to be driven onto the upper surface of the device without movement of the device. Thus, one must carefully wedge the forward portion of these devices in order to prevent movement thereof and to enable the driving of the tire onto the upper surface of these devices.